Championship Weekend Preview: Playoff What Ifs?

Michael Malone didn’t just shorten his bench. He strangled it. Christian Braun played a valiant 20 minutes in that scarring, jarring Game 7, much of it spent badgering the heck outta Anthony Edwards. After that, though, the alms dwindled. Justin Holiday got nine minutes for the Nuggets; Reggie Jackson, five. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, received 22 minutes and 11 points from Naz Reid, a stretch-4-type post who gave Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic more real estate to defend.

In the latest edition of the Nuggets Ink podcast, beat writer Bennett Durando and sports editor Matt Schubert reconvene after the Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated Denver in a stunning Game 7 comeback. Among the topics discussed: Where did things go wrong for the Nuggets in the second half of Game 7? What could coach Michael Malone have done differently to stem the tide as Minnesota rallied from 20 points down to advance? How much of the blame for what happened Sunday should be heaped upon the shoulders of superstars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray?

In the NBA arguably more than any other American sports league, the playoffs have a tendency to consume any relevant regular-season context about a team or an individual. That reality has worked to Jamal Murray’s advantage over the last five years of Nuggets runs. It’s working to Michael Porter Jr.’s disadvantage this time. Porter chose to wear the blame Sunday night for Denver’s early exit from the playoffs after Game 7 against the Timberwolves.

The Broncos are going to be without one of their young linebackers into the regular season. Second-year player Drew Sanders tore his Achilles tendon about a month ago during the early part of Denver’s offseason workout program, sources confirmed Monday to The Post Sanders, a third-round draft pick in 2023, played inside linebacker after first being drafted and then during the season switched full-time to outside linebacker. All told, Sanders played in all 17 games as a rookie, started four and finished with 24 tackles (one for loss).

Jonathan Drouin authored one of the best stories in the NHL this season and provided the Colorado Avalanche with incredible value. Now, the question is will both sides be able to agree on a new contract to make this short-term partnership a longer one? There is certainly a will to make it happen on both sides, but the way remains a little less certain. “I’m going to dwell on this loss for a bit.

In an emptying locker room of players who had forgotten what it feels like to end a season with a loss, nobody was in uncharted territory as much as Christian Braun. Towel draped over his head, eyes red underneath it, the second-year guard was in a state of disbelief that replicated the entire Nuggets fanbase.